Crafts with recycled materials are not only super easy, but you can really make something beautiful and they’re incredibly easy on your wallet.

You’ve eyed that giant bag of recycling and thought “what a waste” and then you’ve had the thought “I should save these mustard container” because it looks useful, it has a squeeze top, it’s an offensive shade of yellow… The problem with saving some things is that you know they’re useful and can be given a second purpose… but for what exactly?

We found a few great craft projects for kids (and adults) using recycled materials, so at least you’ll know what in your recycling bin is worth rescuing.

Painting in a Bottle

Crafts with Recycled Materials

You’ll need:

  • A clean plastic bottle or two (which ever size you have)
  • At least two colors of paint – any kind of paint will do, though if the paint is thick you might want to add a little water to the bottle
  • You might want to pull some newspaper out of your recycling bin, too for this little project because it *might* get a little messy

Directions:

  1. Like I said, if your paint is a bit thick, add about a teaspoon of water to the inside of the bottle before they add the paint.
  2. Squirt the paint right into the empty bottle
  3. Put the cap back on and let the kids shake, rattle and roll their bottle around until the paint has marbled the bottle – and voila! A painting in a bottle
  4. To let these bottle dry remove the cap and let them sit.

And as an added bonus, here’s a grown up version:

Painted Jars

Crafts with Recycled Materials

You’ll need:

  • A clean jar or jars
  • Acrylic paint or the spray paint of your choice (if you choose to use spray paint don’t forget yo do it with proper ventilation and wear a surgical mask) Spray paint does stick to the jars and creates an even layer of paint
  • A paint brush, what ever size will fit inside of your jar

Directions:

  1. Use your paint brush to reach everywhere inside the jars
  2. Let the excess paint drip out of the jar
  3. One the excess paint has been removed, let the jars dry in open air, right side up

And if you STILL have plastic bottles left over:

Flower Stamps

Crafts with Recycled Materials

You’ll need:

  • Plastic bottle(s)
  • Paint

Directions:

  1. You can leave the bottle in tact completely – no need to gut the bottom off
  2. Fill a shallow bowl with paint
  3. Let your kids stamp away!
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